Numbers 11:17

11:17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take part of the spirit that is on you, and will put it on them, and they will bear some of the burden of the people with you, so that you do not bear it ¹  all by yourself.

Numbers 11:2

11:2 When the people cried to Moses, he ²  prayed to the Lord, and the fire died out. ³ 

Numbers 2:15

2:15 Those numbered in his division are 45,650.

James 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ⁴  is from above, coming down ⁵  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ⁶ 

¹ tn The imperfect tense here is to be classified as a final imperfect, showing the result of this action by God. Moses would be relieved of some of the responsibility when these others were given the grace to understand and to resolve cases.

² tn Heb “Moses.”

³ sn Here is the pattern that will become in the wilderness experience so common – the complaining turns to a cry to Moses, which is then interpreted as a prayer to the Lord, and there is healing. The sequence presents a symbolic lesson, an illustration of the intercession of the Holy Spirit. The NT will say that in times of suffering Christians do not know how to pray, but the Spirit intercedes for them, changing their cries into the proper prayers (Rom 8).

⁴ tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

⁵ tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

⁶ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).